In august we were proposed to do an installation for the Decoupage Art Show entrance, at the Palacio San Miguel. As the space was quite big, we decided to do our animals larger than we are used to, real sized, in cardboard.

The idea was to make a space where you would be able to hang with these animals, that we chosen because they are endangered in Argentina, some of them near extinct. These animals are the Giant ant-eater, the Jaguar, the Gray fox and the Spectacled bear

The gray wolf conservation is considered as least concern. The introduction of exotic animals doesn't bother him, it even benefits him: its populations are growing. But this is an unusual case.On the opposite side is the spectacled bear, the only ursine from South America is considered extinct in Argentina, though a handful of elusive individuals may remain in the jungles of the north of the country.With less than 200 individuals in the whole country, the Jaguar seems to follow its steps. It dissapeared from most of the territory, where it only remains as a toponymic. Nowadays only a few populations remain in Misiones and the Yungas, and it continues to be elusive in Chaco. That's different for the giant ant-eater, that feeds exclusively on ants. And without anthills, its numbers are getting smaller each day.

The dimensions of these beasts also require a big land extension for each individual. It's not hard to understand why these animals survive in the remotest and hardest places to reach of the country, those places where clearing hasn't arrived yet, that transforms all the enviroments where they still can survive. And that border keeps getting smaller: seven acres of native woods are choped down per hour. Expelled from the mounts, they come down to our domains where they usually find their death, hunted or ran over in routes.

However, the clearing is not the main threat that these and many other species are dealing with in Argentina and the rest of the world. It is a bigger problem, where misinformation, lack of interest and disappointment converge. The solution to this problem is at sight: it requires information, interest and excitement. Knowing what we have is the only way to appreciate it. And when we appreciate it, we won't want to lose it. And when we won't want to lose it, we'll do something to defend it, whatever our place is.

Teach the others the existence of the spectacled bear, the jaguar, the giant ant-eater and the gray wolf, it's a nice way to start.